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Manufacturers are under pressure to squeeze greater productivity from their human workforces. Industrial robots can automate repetitive tasks, but that’s only part of the reason that robots are spreading like wildfire across the factory floor. Most discussions of this phenomenon center on whether robots will replace human workers. The choice is presented as “yes or no”, and this stifles deeper analysis. For smart manufacturers, learning to think about robots is as important a topic as whether robots are learning to think about us.

If the Internet of Things (IoT) is so wonderful, why aren’t more manufacturers embracing it? Many industrial companies claim to see the value in Internet-connected machinery and equipment. Yet there’s a significant disparity between IoT rates of adoption and the expectation that everything that can be Internet-enabled will (eventually) become Internet-enabled. IoT can improve operational efficiency, but you’ll have to get beyond all of the hype about “smart” toasters first. Here’s how – and here’s why IoT matters to manufacturing.

What percentage of U.S. manufacturing managers like their jobs? Are these jobs stable? Is the work challenging? If Industry Week’s 2016 Salary Survey is a fair indication, some of the most important numbers in American manufacturing aren’t preceded by dollar signs. For employees who wonder if they’re being paid enough, and for employers who worry about recruiting and retaining top talent, money matters. Yet there’s more to IW’s salary survey than base pay.